Battle of the Bands
by sapphire999
Summary: I didn't know how to classify this fic, so... this is what it's all about. I took all of my favorite anime characters and put thm in their own bands. it's kind of like a really huge song fic. have fun reading and please review.
1. Beginning of a Very Musical Destiny

Battle of the Bands  
  
Chapter 1  
  
By: sapphire999  
  
Hey all, I saw the school of rock today and felt so inspired, that I decided to write this fic for all you rockers. However, I don't know which songs to use. I used some form Avril Lavine, Linkin' Park, and even Josie and the Pussycats. I think that's pretty sad if I resort to Josie and the Pussycats. Not that I don't like the movie or anything, but come on! Anywho, here's the basic run down for ya: I bundled all my favorite anime characters and put them all in bands that used their anime titles for names. I have no solo characters, 'cause that would be tacky and not as cool as the original idea. Well that's all I'll tell you guys about the story line mainly 'cause I don't know where it's gonna go. If you guys have any ideas as to songs or anything don't hesitate to tell me through reviews or email. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. Oh, and if you must flame me, go right ahead, you're just posting your own foolish grudge over the net. Also, please note that I don't really care. Well on to the fic!  
  
Sapphire  
  
"I'm tired of being what you want me to be, feeling so faithless, lost under the surface. Don't know what you're expecting of me, put under the pressure of walking in your shoes." Inuyasha began.  
  
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow." Miroku continued.  
  
"Every step that I take is another mistake to you..." Inuyasha went on.  
  
"I've become so numb," Miroku spewed out.  
  
"I can't feel you there," Inuyasha continued smoothly.  
  
"I've become so tired," Miroku sang  
  
"So much more aware." Inuyasha launched from his diaphragm.  
  
"I'm becoming this!" Miroku belted.  
  
"All I want to do," Inuyasha practically screamed.  
  
"Is be more like me!" Miroku sang.  
  
"And be less like you!" Inuyasha vengefully sang into the microphone allowing his voice to scratch a tiny bit.  
  
Then Kagome and Sango kicked off the second verse and chorus.  
  
"Can't you see that you're smothering me, holding to tightly, afraid to lose control. 'Cause everything that you want me to be is falling apart, right in front of you," Kagome began smoothly.  
  
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow," Sango picked up just as calmly.  
  
"Every step that I take is another mistake to you." Kagome sweetly sang, while half-screaming.  
  
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow" Sango smoothly interjected.  
  
"And every second I waste is more than I can take!" Kagome practically screamed into the microphone.  
  
"I've become so numb," Sango belted.  
  
"I can't feel you there," Kagome matched Sango in sweet screaming notes.  
  
"I've become so tired," Sango sweetly interjected.  
  
"So much more aware," Kagome came in quickly.  
  
"I'm becoming this." Sango sang in a scratchy yet smooth voice.  
  
"All I want to do," Kagome sounded as though she was truly pleading into the microphone as she sang.  
  
"Is be more like me," Sango practically screamed into the Mic.  
  
"And be less like you!" Kagome finished.  
  
Then Inuyasha and Miroku came in to do the bridge together.  
  
"And I know I may end up failing too. And I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you!" they yelled while gracefully staying on key.  
  
Then everybody sang the chorus at the same time.  
  
"I've become so numb," Inuyasha and Miroku sang while working their poor guitars to death.  
  
"I can't feel you there," Sango and Kagome belted, Sango from behind the drums, Kagome wreaking havoc with her bass.  
  
"I've become so tired," Inuyasha and Kagome sang together.  
  
"So much more aware," Sango and Miroku cut in with perfect harmony.  
  
"I'm becoming this," Inuyasha and Kagome sang matching each other's volume and scratchiness.  
  
"All I want to do," Miroku and Sango sang out.  
  
"Is be more like me," Kagome and Inuyasha sang into the same Mic.  
  
"And be less like you!" Miroku and Sango finished.  
  
Then the keyboard/mixer (I don't know what to call them.) played final light notes slowly. That person was none other than Kouga. And he was already eyeing Kagome's black clad and curvy body. He was hoping to already get Kagome's attention.  
  
Kikyou, the band manager cheered like there was no tomorrow from in front of the band.  
  
"That was perfect you guys! We're going to win this thing for sure!" She yelled happily. She jumped up and down excitedly and hugged everybody, and when Miroku's turn came she hit him with a mallet after he touched her in an inappropriate place. Kouga pushed her away quickly after receiving his hug and he ran to hug Kagome who'd already set down her bass and started to walk to the drums so she could give Sango a high five. Sango did so and jumped in front of Kouga with mallet in hand and whacked him hard on the forehead. He collapsed with his arms still outstretched.  
  
"Thanks Sango. I wouldn't have seen him coming until it was too late. I owe you an ice cream. Kouga freaks me out sometimes," Kagome spewed out in a single breath.  
  
"No problem Kagome, oh and make that a cone, I feel like a double scoop," Sango said, easily matching the speed of her friend.  
  
"Inuyasha you wanna come with us?" Kagome asked at regular speed this time.  
  
Inuyasha was still laughing at Miroku and Kouga. So he had to try to talk between gasps of air.  
  
"Sure. Why. Not?" He managed to get out whilst rolling on the floor.  
  
"Can I come too?" Miroku asked while getting up.  
  
"It's fine with me if you keep your hands to yourself," Kagome said cheerfully.  
  
"Sorry everyone, but I can't make this one," Kikyou said, " I have a special gig coming up that I have to get ready for."  
  
"Really? Where?" Kagome asked Kikyou. (Kikyou is a flute player and does classical music in big concertos. It doesn't really match her love of rock, but everybody's different, also, I said there were no soloists, I meant for the rock portion) She loved to listen to Kikyou's music, even though she was technically in a hard rock band. She sang and listened to almost any kind of music.  
  
"Kyoto Grand Music Hall," she said trying to brush off the question. She didn't like Kagome that much though they used to be friends. It all started when Kikyou broke up with Inuyasha. Kagome and Inuyasha were friends, and she asked why Kikyou broke up with him.  
  
Flashback:  
  
"So I need permission to break up with my boyfriend?" Kikyou screamed at Kagome.  
  
"I never said that! I just wanna know what happened! You're both my friends and I want your side of the story!" Kagome tried to reason with her angry friend. Sadly, Kikyou didn't care.  
  
"So you just want the truth? Keep your nose out of it! Why do you care? Kagome you are such a fool! Who do you think you are? My personal life is not an open book for you to read! You'll just side with Inuyasha like you always do! Why are we even friends?" Kikyou said feeling tears well up in her eyes. She hated the way Kagome always ended up siding with him. She couldn't stand to be with him anymore, not when.  
  
Kagome was speechless standing still with her eyes getting glassy. She felt like slime. She felt like crying. She felt like running away. But she stayed still to try and make sense of what was going on, she didn't like where this was going. Kikyou was taking this further than it really needed to go, and she was talking to Kagome like she was her enemy.  
  
"Kikyou," she managed to say quietly, " he loved you. You know he did, so why are you doing this to him? And why are you saying that I always take his side?"  
  
"You did it again! You're impossible! You love Inuyasha! I can see that clearly now, so much that he finally noticed and he chose you over me! He didn't love me, and it was oh so clear he preferred you when he jilted me to meet you!" Kikyou seethed. It was awful to feel this jealous and full of hate.  
  
"What are you talking about Kikyou? That was to plan your birthday party! I don't love Inuyasha! I know he loves you!" Kagome said. She felt like crying when she came to terms with the fact Inuyasha didn't love her. It hurt her deeply. So deeply that she may have well been in love with Inuyasha. She looked at Kikyou who was even more enraged than before.  
  
"You love him Kagome it's all over your face! Inuyasha doesn't love me! If he did, he wouldn't have gone to you before me when he learned about his father for the first time! He wouldn't have gone to you first to see if you were sick! He wouldn't have brought you flowers! He wouldn't have asked you to the dance! He wouldn't have warped our friendship this way! He wouldn't have dumped me like a pile of trash when he heard I said you spend too much time with him! He would have trusted me!" Kikyou said, feeling rage and jealousy engulf her body.  
  
"Kikyou." Kagome had run out of things to reason with. She was speechless and scared to lose her friend. They shouldn't be fighting like this. It shouldn't be this way, but it was and there wasn't a thing she couldn't do a thing about it anymore. The argument ended as Kikyou told Kagome their friendship was over and ran home. Kagome fell on her knees in tears as the sun beat down on her.  
  
End Flashback  
  
"That's really great! You could be discovered Kikyou! I'm so proud of you!" Kagome said.  
  
Kikyou smiled at her for a change. It was the first time she felt like a friend in a long time.  
  
"Thanks Kagome and good luck at the battle of the bands, I'm going to miss it," Kikyou said. She felt a pang of guilt in her stomach and wished. She was going to be there.  
  
"What do you mean Kikyou, you have to be there," Inuyasha said.  
  
"Yeah, how can we play without our manager there to cheer us on?" Sango said, secretly wishing Kikyou would drop dead. She thought Kikyou was scum deep down, and hated her for breaking ties with poor Kagome who was just caught in the middle. She forced herself to be nice for Kagome's sake, but sometimes Kikyou was a big let down. Like right now.  
  
"I guess we have to find another manager then," Miroku said. He didn't much like Kikyou himself, but in his eyes, any good body had a good person in them somewhere, if she was a girl. He was in love with Sango, but she thought of him as a perverted friend.  
  
"I guess so," Kouga said popping up next to Kagome, who screamed in shock. "It's a shame though, we'll never find anyone as good as Kikyou is."  
  
What he said was partially true, Kikyou was an awesome businesswoman, even though she was a nurse in training (I had to stay true to some part of the anime ^.^). She blushed a little and picked up her clipboard.  
  
"Well I have to go see you guys tomorrow," Kikyou said walking out the door.  
  
Everyone picked up his or her respective instruments and cased them. As they loaded their instruments into Inuyasha's van, they waved goodbye to Kikyou who was driving away in her grand prix XL (okay I have an obsession with Pontiac cars and Volkswagen beetles, so sue me). Kouga snuck past Sango and caught Kagome as she was loading her bass. She screamed bloody murder and hit Kouga with all the force she could muster, using her bass case as a weapon. Inuyasha who had growled after Kouga grabbed her was now using his guitar case for support. He was laughing his ass off.  
  
"Kouga what the hell were you trying to do? You scared me to death! Do you have any idea how creepy that is?" Kagome screamed in rage. Her pretty brown eyes had flames in them now. Her ponytail was swinging with her head as she gave chase to a very scared Kouga.  
  
"Come back here coward!"  
  
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"  
  
Inuyasha was on the verge of wetting himself form laughing at Kouga. Sango and Miroku face faulted and sweat dropped together. She sighed as she handed Inuyasha her drums he carefully loaded them while chuckling to himself. Miroku handed up his guitar and when it was loaded he watched as Kagome stomped up fuming. She muttered something under her breath about boys being immature. She handed her bass to Inuyasha and he shut and locked the van doors. He forgot about Kouga's keyboard and turn tables. He had stopped laughing, but couldn't help but smile when he saw Kagome's face.  
  
"You're so cute when you're angry. It makes me wanna just hug ya," he said joking around.  
  
"Isn't she though," Miroku said chuckling and pulling on Kagome's ponytail.  
  
"Yeah Kagome, it's adorable," Sango said putting an arm around her best friend.  
  
Kagome laughed and put her arm around Sango and Inuyasha, leaving Miroku to Sango. She hugged her friends and said, "Onward! To the ice-cream store!"  
  
"Hey, where's the stalker?" Inuyasha said looking around curiously.  
  
"Kouga's in an alley with a lump the size of Mount Rushmore on his head," Kagome answered.  
  
Inuyasha made a mental note to not get on her bad side, and laughed nervously with Sango and Miroku.  
  
*In the ice-cream parlor.  
  
"1,2, 1,2,3,4!" a drummer shouted. This caused our friends to look around as they came in the shop. The saw the Sailor Scouts getting ready to play. This was a perfect time to check out the competition while eating yummy ice cream. Kagome ordered double scooped cone for everyone in his or her favorite flavor, and sat down. They licked and listened to the band, and they weren't so bad.  
  
"You could say everything's no good, 'cause you'd just say what everyone else would. You could say that the sky is blue 'cause I wonder who would ever not believe you! I shoulda said this for so long so, so long!" Raye fired into the Mic.  
  
"Shape shifter! Guest lister! Big thinker, she'll turn around, you'll diss her! Gate crasher! Brain hasher! If you think that's cool whatever dude! Whatever dude!" Serena belted out, and since her singing lessons, she sounded awesome.  
  
Lita played her guitar like there was no tomorrow and started to sing the next verse.  
  
" You could say what she wants to hear, 'cause it's her car and she lets the bumps steer. You could say that you'll fix is in, but I don't believe it, not for a minute! 'Cause you like all the same songs, but you're all wrong, you're just all wrong!" She sang out angelically rocking.  
  
"Shape shifter! Guest lister! Big thinker, she'll turn around, you'll diss her! Gate crasher! Brain hasher! If you think that's cool whatever dude! Whatever dude!" Mina belted out. She was really good.  
  
Amy killed with her bass and did back up vocals with Mina at the drums.  
  
They slowed the music down a tiny little bit and played quietly so that Raye and Serena could shine through.  
  
"Boys like you don't cost a dime you could say that's fine! Fine! Fine! Fine! Fine! But you know just as well as I, that's a lie! Lie! Lie! Lie!" they chimed.  
  
Lita and Amy stepped up to do a face melter duo with their instruments.  
  
"Gate crasher! Brain hasher! Big thinker she'll turn around you'll trash her! Shape shifter! Guest lister! If you think that's cool." Lita and Mina sang together.  
  
"Shape shifter! Guest lister! Big thinker, she'll turn around, you'll diss her! Gate crasher! Brain hasher! If you think that's cool whatever dude! Whatever dude!" Amy, Serena, and Raye sang all at once.  
  
"Whatever dude!" Amy sang into the Mic.  
  
"Whatever dude!" Lita said keeping the melody in her voice.  
  
"Whatever," Raye said ending the song.  
  
Everyone in the parlor applauded, even the Inuyasha band (you have to be sportsmanlike, even in band competitions, right?).  
  
"Thank you all! We'll be here all week. And be sure to come see us at the battle of the bands!" Raye said cheerfully into the Mic.  
  
Serena and Mina were talking by the drums, and Lita and Amy were high- fiving (remind you of Kagome and Sango?). Raye was starting to fix the microphone stand when she noticed the Inuyasha band.  
  
"Hey you guys," she said to her fellow band mates, "guess who's here?"  
  
Upon hearing this, the entire band looked up at Raye with questioning eyes. Raye pointed to the back of Inuyasha. Kagome noticed Raye was pointing at Inuyasha and made the connection that hey were probably gonna fight in one ways or another, she sighed and noticed that Amy was doing the same thing.  
  
Then the worst possible thing happened, Kouga came through the doors with a huge lumps on his head, looking like an excited little wolf cub that just got beat up. Kagome's hair stood on end and her body went rigid like a cat's does. She grabbed her ice cream cone and flew under the table. Sango took the hint and scooted over to Kagome's place. Inuyasha received a kick in the shins from under the table telling him to keep his yap shut if he wanted to live.  
  
"Hey where's Kagome? I heard her say you guys were coming here," he asked with hopeful and shiny eyes.  
  
Inuyasha sighed and received another kick in the shin. "She went home Kouga, you scared her again," he covered for his unfortunate friend. He felt Kagome hug his leg in a thank you motion.  
  
"Really?" he asked  
  
"Yes she did, I'm sure you could catch up to her if you hurried," Sango said in her best actress voice.  
  
"Yeah you're pretty fast Kouga, you might even beat her there," Miroku said, just for good measure.  
  
Kouga was about to leave when *gasp! * Raye and the rest of her band buddies came over to the table.  
  
"Hey why is Kagome under the table?" Raye asked, not knowing what she'd just done to poor Kagome who was now waterfall crying under the table. Everyone tried to cover for her by looking surprised when they looked under the table and saw an annoyed looking Kagome.  
  
"Hey I thought you said you were going home Kagome, why are you here?" Inuyasha and the band said as one. Kagome's ice cream cone had been finished so she didn't have an alibi anymore. She just laughed nervously and sweat dropped.  
  
Then Raye's big mouth opened up again. "What do you mean? She was talking to you guys before he came in."  
  
Kagome gave Raye an I'm-so-going-to-kill-you glare from under the table. And then Kouga dove under the table to hug Kagome. He ended up kissing her instead, which was fine with him, but Kagome was horrified. Inuyasha looked as though he was going to kill Kouga. Miroku and Sango looked at each other and practically ran away from the scene to the stage. Amy was the first on to followed their lead, but soon everybody but Raye was a safe distance away. Kagome couldn't breathe! She was gonna pass out. Kouga wouldn't let go no matter how hard she pushed on his torso. Inuyasha overturned the table and beat Kouga off of Kagome who gasped for air and spat and coughed. Inuyasha Leapt on top of Kouga and punched him so hard and so fast he couldn't react to it. Kagome got out her mallet and beat poor Raye to death.  
  
"You moron!" she screamed. Then she grabbed Raye and took it outside.  
  
"Don't ever touch Kagome again!" Inuyasha yelled and threw Kouga out the door. And he followed looking rather pissed.  
  
Amy and the scouts watched as Raye got beat up and Inuyasha beat up Kagome's stalker. Miroku and Sango ordered a milk shake and shared it, watching with great interest as Kagome broke her mallet over Raye's head and came back in looking satisfied. Inuyasha kept on hitting Kouga and they all grew tired of watching blood gush from his nose. Inuyasha came back in with a big scowl on his face. He was grumbling something about demons in the form of stalking creeps.  
  
"Are we ready now?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Yeah" everybody said.  
  
Amy went outside with a first aid kit and fixed up Kouga and Raye. Then Lita carried Raye to the band van to give her a ride home. Then the sailor scouts climbed into their van and drove off. Miroku and Sango climbed into Sango's silver grand prix Gt. as they said bye to Inuyasha and Kagome. Kouga was still at the parlor. Kagome started to talk to Inuyasha as he walked her to her car.  
  
"Thanks for what you did Inuyasha, I couldn't breathe. It was really scary when he kissed me."  
  
"He deserves to be put into an asylum. Creep. Who does he think he is?" Inuyasha said.  
  
"Inuyasha, thank you. Well, I'll see you at Blue Moon tomorrow," Kagome said. Before she got in her car she gave him a best friend hug.  
  
He watched as she drove away in her blue Volkswagen bug. He hopped in his beat up van and drove home himself. He thought of a zillion ways to make Kagome give him another hug on his way home.  
  
So did you like it? I think this could turn out to be great. Personally, I'm thrilled about the idea. Let me know what you think. Was it funny enough? Too violent? Not violent enough? Was it romantic enough for you? Was it good, or bad? Too short? Too long? It took forever to type this sucker. It's 8 pages in size twelve font! o.0 wow! Anywho, let me know if you have any ideas about songs or anything! I love your reviews, they're my inspiration. most of the time. Well let me know how you like my fic.  
  
Love ya! ^.-  
  
Sapphire999 


	2. The Reason You Shouldn't Watch Girl Figh...

Battle of the Bands  
  
Chapter 2: The Reason You Shouldn't Watch Girl Fights.  
  
By: sapphire999  
  
Hey guys! Hope you liked the last chapter, even though it was a little rushed and mostly song lyrics. I reread everything and noticed that I left some loose ends. I thank you for your patience, and now to explain quickly. Kikyou is the manager for 'Inuyasha' because her instruments don't quite fit in with the band.anywhere. She can't sing either. At least not in this fic she can't. Therefore, she travels around now and then for her gigs in symphonies and orchestras. The reason why she isn't the greatest manager is because, like I touched on in the story, she's not always there for important gigs. Kouga stalks Kagome and the only reason nobody reports him is because he's never actually hurt her or kidnapped her (not while Inuyasha's alive and breathing!). He's on the band because he's a talented member that they need. Kikyou and Inuyasha used to date, and he and Kagome are childhood buddies. Kikyou was getting jealous and Inuyasha heard a rumor that Kikyou insulted Kagome so he cornered Kikyou, which is the main reason why she broke up with him. No trust equals no love. I'm also very sorry that I made it unclear who was going to fight who, but I bet you thought it was gonna be Raye and Inuyasha. I used a Josie and the Pussycats song for the 'Sailor Scouts' cameo. I noticed that at the end I didn't explain anything very well. The reason why nobody was too shocked about Raye getting mauled or Inuyasha beating Kouga to death is quite simple friends: it happens all the time! Inuyasha's falling for Kagome (duh), Sango is trying to resist Miroku, and Kikyou will probably never have a boyfriend. Get over it Kikyou fans, I don't feel like giving her much fic time. I'll probably use the Inuyasha cast for most of the plot, thus making them the main characters. Inuyasha has a beat up van because I can't think of a suitable car for him, hence the pimp van. Miroku's car will probably be a lexus; I don't know which model so use your imagination. Oh, and on a final note, at the end, when I say 'make', I mean he's going to earn them. Well, on to the next chapter right?  
  
Sapphire  
  
Kagome woke up to her alarm clock, just like every morning. It read 5 o'clock. Why did she have to have a shift that started this early? Kagome sluggishly got out of bed and got in the shower. When she was out she looked at the clock again. It now read 5:30. She screamed and put on her work uniform. It was black pants, a blue shirt, and a nametag that came attached to your apron. She put her performance clothes in a gym bag, put her hair in a ponytail and ran out the door. 'Why is it like this every morning?' she thought rushing to her car.  
  
She threw the bag in the passenger seat and took off like a bat out of hell. Her workplace, Blue Moon Café, was giving her band a performance day for free. They would be publicity for a café that usually only let jazz bands play. Ironic isn't it? They were finally letting rock bands play. It was 5:55, She just barely pulled up in time she grabbed the bag and ran inside to clock in before announced late. She leaped over the counter and checked in just as the clock read 6:00. She let out a sigh, and her eyes lit up when Sango passed her a donut. She scarfed it down and unlocked the register just in time for the first customers to waltz through the doors, to her horror Kouga was the first one to get to her. 'This is gonna be a long day,' she thought to herself as he ordered the most expensive coffee.  
  
"At least he's good for business," Sango said when Kouga was out of earshot.  
  
"True. I'd better get a raise for this kind of stuff," she said half joking to Sango who rolled her eyes and took the next order at the counter.  
  
Sango works at the 'to go' window and Kagome is a waitress/hostess. Kikyou came in with a briefcase and ordered an ice mocha. She said good bye to everybody and left for the airport.  
  
"Miroku is late again," Sango mused.  
  
"He should technically be fired, but the manager loves him to much," Kagome said. She sighed as Sango rang up another customer and Kagome went over to Kouga who was currently the only 'for here' customer. They stayed on safe subjects like "Are you ready for today?" or "Inuyasha is late again."  
  
Then as if on cue, Inuyasha and Miroku showed up coming through the double doors as usual, about 20 minutes late. Kagome shot over to Inuyasha and showed him where to set up, she glared at Kouga to get him to help. It's not hard to manipulate him if you're Kagome. At 12:00 Sango and Kagome's shift ended and Miroku finished his 20-minute layover. Kagome and Sango took the extra time to change in the bathroom. They came out ready to start the gig feeling good. Kagome made sure her bass was perfect, Sango made sure the microphones worked, Inuyasha tuned the guitars, and Miroku set up the lights before changing into his band T-shirt and jeans. At precisely 12:30 they started the gig. At about 5:30 they played the final song for the day.  
  
"It's the first time I've ever felt this lonely. I wish someone would come cure this pain. It's funny when you think it's gonna work out, 'till you chose weed over me you're so lame," Kagome started out.  
  
"I thought you were cool until the point, up until the point you didn't call when you said you would. I finally figured out you're all the same, always coming up with some kind of story," Sango interjected.  
  
"Every time I try to make you smile, you're always feeling sorry for yourself. Every time I try to make you laugh, you can't you're too tough, you think you're loveless. Is that too much that I'm asking for?" Sango and Kagome sang in unison.  
  
Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga played the next few chords.  
  
"I thought you'd come around when I ignored you, sort of thought you had the decency to change. But babe I guess you didn't take that warning, 'cause I'm not about to look at your face again!" Miroku sang clearly.  
  
"Can't you see that you lie to yourself? You can't see the world through a mirror. It won't be too late when the smoke clears, 'cause I-I am still here," Inuyasha sang in his awesome singing voice.  
  
"Every time I try to make you smile, you're always going feeling sorry for yourself. Every time I try to make you laugh, you stand like a stone, alone in your zone. Is that too much that I'm asking for?" the girls sang together.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Can't find where I am, lying here alone in fear. Afraid of the dark, no one to claim alone again. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" Kagome serenaded  
  
"Can't you see that you lie to yourself? You can't see the world through a mirror. It won't be too late when the smoke clears, 'cause I-I am still here," Inuyasha sang in his awesome singing voice.  
  
"Every time I try to make you smile, you're always going feeling sorry for yourself. Every time I try to make you laugh, you can't you're too tough, you think you're loveless. It was too much that I asked you for," the girls sang together.  
  
The final chords of the song were played and the lights dimmed to hide people getting ready to bow on stage. The applause was deafening. The lights flashed back on and the band members stood hand in hand bowing and smiling. It was the best gig they'd ever played and brought in the biggest amount of business the Blue Moon Café ever had.  
  
They cleared the stage and loaded Inuyasha's van and Sango and Kagome were fighting about which band was better, Linkin Park or System of the Down.  
  
"Linkin Park is the best!" Sango screamed in defense of her favorite band.  
  
"They're good, but System of the Down is way better," Kagome argued, for her band.  
  
"That is so not true! Linkin Park is the best!" Sango restated.  
  
"System of the Down is better!" Kagome shouted exasperated.  
  
"Miroku! Back me up!" Sango yelled at him. Those pleading eyes nearly got him but.  
  
"Actually I think Kagome is right. System of the Down is way better," Miroku said.  
" I agree with Sango, Linkin Park is way better," Inuyasha argued.  
  
Death glares were exchanged as Kouga walked up. All eyes turned to him. Immediately he froze to the spot. Kouga was the only one who could decide who was right. He hated being caught in the middle. This was why he never stuck around for girl fights.  
  
" Kouga, which is better Linkin Park or System of the Down?" Kagome asked him quietly.  
  
'Oh shit! I don't know which one Kagome likes better! This won't end well for me,' Kouga thought.  
  
Sango, who was visibly annoyed, shook him for the answer. He answered the question quickly.  
  
"I think both are equal!" he said hoping it would get them off of his back.  
  
Sango let the poor guy go and he ran off to his car like a frightened wolf. Kagome hugged Miroku for being on her side Inuyasha and Sango nodded in agreement. Sango pulled Miroku away from Kagome by the ear. Kagome and Inuyasha watched as the two of them walked to Miroku's car and Miroku was slapped. He took Sango by the hands and got on his knees to apologize. Sango went wide-eyed and blushed. He hugged Sango and he got pushed away really fast.  
  
"I wish they'd get a room," Inuyasha said. He was sickened, yet jealous. It was so clear they were in love.  
  
"I'm sick of their trying to pussy-foot around. We already know they're in love, at least come out and admit it, gosh," Kagome said.  
  
"Anyway. why didn't you back me up Inuyasha? I thought you were gonna be on my side," she said. It didn't sound good to Inuyasha. This was gonna be a bad situation.  
  
"I don't try to turn against you, but I have to represent," Inuyasha said. He was so gonna get a scratch from Kagome.  
  
"Is it gonna be like this all the time? Are you just gonna forget about my feelings so you can 'represent'?" She said. This was getting bad.  
  
"Look it isn't that big of a deal," he started, but he was cut off.  
  
"Sure this time. What about next time? Huh?" Kagome practically yelled.  
  
"You're over-reacting. Anyway, you know I wouldn't turn my back on you," Inuyasha said. Even this didn't work. I guess PMS conquers all.  
  
"I don't care what you think would happen! It's always different in real life!" Kagome yelled.  
  
With that she ran off in a storm of PMS rage and drove to the nearest ice cream store. She bought a gallon of strawberry ice cream. It was her favorite comfort food. She drove home going 90 in a 20-mph zone. Kouga saw the ice cream through her rose bushes and knew she wasn't gonna be in a good mood. It was scary when Kagome had PMS. She went inside throwing her bag to the ground. She took a huge spoon from a drawer and dug into her ice cream while checking her messages.  
  
^^^^^^  
  
Hey I was going through a little mad phase when I wrote this. I thought I should introduce some conflict into the story and get revenge on my friend who took out her PMS rage on me today. Anywho I hope you enjoyed this chapter and like the story. Please show me some love, review! Well, bye-bye for now.  
  
Sapphire 


	3. Why?

Battle of the Bands  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Why?  
  
Hey there, Sapphire again, bringing you another sweet slice of rock! It has become my sworn mission to finish this fic to make sure you guys learn what good writing is. That and I haven't gotten writer's block yet for this story. Well I hope you like the story thus far. I decided to use some lyrics from Cold Play because they're the coolest band ever! They're one of my favorites. Of course the fight during the last chapter was over my friend and mine's fight. I was the Linkin Park side; she was on System of the Down's side. Our fight didn't end up like Inuyasha's and Kagome's, but I felt that if I should use it I should add some of their old characteristics from the series. The way they fight about the most unreasonable things always got me going. I always try to give it my all! It always makes me happy to write stories, even if I know they aren't very good. It means a lot when I get reviews because they tell me how I can fix my mistakes. I'd certainly appreciate your review, considering I haven't got any yet. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!  
  
~~~  
  
Kagome ferociously dug into her ice cream. It really got her to calm down while mulling over the somewhat blurry details of her fight with Inuyasha. She was starting to feel bad about over reacting about something that stupid. She was tired of gloating around and being so stubborn and unreasonable, that was usually Inuyasha's job. She pressed the play button on her answering machine. It was Sango.  
  
"Hey Kagome, you know who this is, I was just wondering if you wanna go to the gym with me and Miroku tomorrow. We couldn't get Inuyasha to come. He said something about you being mad at him. I tried to get the truth out of him, but he wouldn't tell me anything. Whatever, give me a call when you get home."  
  
The machine beeped and the next message was from Kouga.  
  
"Hi Kagome, I saw you come home tonight, you had Strawberry ice cream. I know what that means. If you wanna talk I'm here."  
  
'Wow, I never thought of Kouga that way, he's a pretty nice guy when he's not being creepy,' Kagome thought. The machine's third beep brought her back to her senses. The message was from Inuyasha himself.  
  
"Hey Kagome, you there? I know you have caller ID so you can avoid talking to me. Look I think it needs to be said, you were an overreacting little witch after the concert, but I wanna know if I did something before to help set that off. I guess it's my fault if that's the case, look just call me back."  
  
She sighed and polished off the ice cream. He was right after all. She hated when he was right, but she was mature enough to admit it, say sorry, and move on. She changed into a pair of pajamas and brushed her teeth. She took the brush from her room and pressed the speakerphone button. She punched in Inuyasha's number and started to brush her hair. She was greeted by Inuyasha's answering machine.  
  
"Inuyasha? It's Kagome; I wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a witch over something so trivial. I don't know what happened. I'll understand if you don't wanna forgive me just now, but please know that I'm sorry for what I did," and with that she hung up and punched in Sango's number. She was also greeted by Sango's machine.  
  
"Hey Sango, guess who? I'll go to the gym with you guys tomorrow if you really want me to, but I don't think Inuyasha will go. I can't go swimming, but I'll gladly tag along for the rest of the day. Well see ya tomorrow then," Kagome hung up and stopped brushing her hair. She sighed and yawned and decided to go to bed early.  
  
~~~  
  
The next morning Inuyasha woke up the sound of his alarm clock. He'd fallen asleep in his clothes again. His T-shirt was wrinkled and sweaty, his jeans were stuck to his legs, which in turn were tangled up in his messy sheets. He searched for his alarm clock on the dresser with his arm and when he couldn't find the switch he got mad and threw it on the ground. The stupid thing was still going off (don't you just hate that?) so he finally managed to get himself untangled from the bed and he smashed it to bits with his abnormal strength.  
  
"SHUT UP!!!!!" he screamed at it. He heard a softer beep and walked to the sound. It was his answering machine. Kagome had left a message. He recalled last nights senseless fight over nothing important and sighed. He knew TOM was visiting, but her behavior was ridiculous! How a woman with so much restraint can get so worked up over something so trivial was beyond him, but she still made him feel bad. What if he'd done something to make her feel that way and it actually came out because she'd had too much.  
  
He decided to wait until after he was more awake to play the message. So he ate breakfast. After words an empty feeling still hung in his stomach. So he brushed his teeth, after that a bitter taste still hung in his mouth. He took a shower, but after that he still felt dirty. He made his bed, so why did he still feel like it was a mess?  
  
Finally he couldn't find another excuse, so he played the message. He had expected to be irrationally yelled at or hear hysterical crying. But he heard a calm, but shaky apology as though she was afraid of his reaction. She was quick and to the point, obviously sad and possibly embarrassed. He remembered Sango and Miroku asked him to go to the gym. It's never to late to change your mind right? He called Sango and told her he'd be there.  
  
He got together a bag of gym stuff and walked to his car, not his van. It was a pretty nice one too. He had a Pontiac Grand Prix GT. It was Blood red with black and slightly lighter black flames. His favorite colors (Okay, I'm going by the color of his clothes, and since black looks better than white with red, that's what goes in my fic!). He got in and arrived at the gym early.  
  
~~~  
  
Miroku woke up in a similar fashion that morning. He had fallen asleep in his clothes working on his thesis (That's right, he's in college! Deal with it!). His laptop was still on with the paper just waiting to be finished. So he ran to the kitchen of his two level apartment and grabbed a box of pop-tarts. He took out his gym stuff and a fresh outfit (black jeans you could hide a Sears cooler in, and a blue dragon tee). He shoved a pop- tart in his mouth and started to type the last paragraph of the long, and might I add, very professional paper. He finished, saved, pressed print and shoved another pop-tart in his mouth he ran to his bathroom and was just undressing as his phone rang.  
  
'Damn telemarketers!' he thought to himself as he ran through his house shirt less to answer the damn thing. It wasn't a telemarketer after all. It was Sango.  
  
"Hi Miroku," came Sango's sleepy voice through the phone. She must have just woken up.  
  
"Hey Honey, did you dream about me?" came Miroku's suave voice through the phone.  
  
"Not unless you count you getting hit with a mallet the size of a Buick."  
  
"That hurts sweet Sango."  
  
"I bet it does. Tell me, are you always horny in the morning, or just when I call?"  
  
"Just for you Darling."  
  
"Whatever. Listen Romeo, Kagome and Inuyasha are coming with us today okay?"  
  
"Just as long as you're there with you sexy little self, Juliet."  
  
"Try not to drool okay?" was the last thing he heard from Sango before she hung up.  
  
He hung up the phone and headed for the shower. When he got dressed he grabbed his paper, stuffed it neatly in his silver brief case. He grabbed his gym bag and arrived at the gym just as Inuyasha was getting out of the locker room.  
  
~~~  
  
Sango woke up to what she thought was Miroku's sexy voice. Though as soon as the word sexy was associated with Miroku's voice, she quickly sent the thought to the grave. It was 3:00 in the morning. No matter how much she tried, going to sleep was not possible so she got up and looked at her phone. It was blinking a bright red. Obviously somebody called. Kagome sounded sad in her message, and tired, Sango hoped it was nothing too serious, and walked into the kitchen. She fell asleep on the floor waiting for her toast. She woke up again at about 6:30 and heard the phone ring. Inuyasha was coming too.  
  
She took a shower and remembered her toast. She stuffed it in her mouth and grabbed her gym bag. She got into her car and went to Kagome's house to pick her up. She had a pair of sparring gloves with her and she was in a good mood. Maybe she'd let Miroku win their match today. She arrived at Kagome's house and honked the horn to signify her arrival.  
  
~~~  
  
Kagome snapped out of her daze when she heard Sango's horn. She finished her yogurt and stuffed a few strawberries in her mouth. She grabbed her gym bag, pulled on her shoes and ran to the car where Sango waited patiently. They arrived at the gym just as Inuyasha came around on the track around the ceiling. He looked down as he passed to see Kagome looking down with her gym bag. She dug out her pass and then she looked up just in time to see his retreating form. She wondered if he was just a figment of her imagination and shrugged as she walked with Sango into the ladies locker room.  
  
Inuyasha was on the last lap before he hit a mile, when Kagome passed him. He was dumbfounded; Kagome was never as fast as he was, much less one for running. He ran to catch up with her when he realized that it was Sango who'd passed him. She'd looked like Kagome in the blur. He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder, this time it was Kagome. She was breathing evenly and smiling. Now the poor guy was just confused. What was going on? He slowed down to a jog instead of Sango's fast pace and Kagome moved to his side. She began to talk to him. But it wasn't her voice it was.  
  
"Inuyasha are you in there?" Miroku said. Inuyasha snapped out of it upon hearing Miroku's voice.  
  
"Sorry, I just kind of zoned out," He said.  
  
"So what were you doing trying to pass Sango?"  
  
"I was just trying to ask her when Kagome's coming."  
  
"Didn't she tell you when you called her? She was gonna pick her up this morning," with that he ran past Inuyasha and beside Sango.  
  
'Why do I keep seeing her? What's going on?' Inuyasha thought. He realized he'd ran about three laps too many. He stopped jogging and walked to the stairwell where he saw the real Kagome. She was sweaty already from a Tai-Bo class. She looked up at him and stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at him with surprise and turned tail to run away.  
  
'Great, now she's afraid of me. And for what? What'd I do to spook her?' he thought as he chased after her. She was never as fast as he was and it was obviously starting to show that she was tired. He caught her before she made it into the locker room.  
  
"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked her. He was genuinely concerned.  
  
"I'm just a little surprised to see you, nobody told me you were coming. I'm kind of embarrassed," Kagome said.  
  
"Huh? Are you disappointed that I came?"  
  
"No it's just. I was afraid of how you'd react. I was really unreasonable, and I don't really know what to say to you."  
  
She gave him a nervous smile and looked away.  
  
"Hey Kagome, you wanna go rock climbing on the wall over there with me?" he asked her.  
  
"Sure," she said taken aback. She didn't think he was going to swallow his pride so easily, much less do her favorite event with her.  
  
They got some harnesses around them and then they were off. Kagome was the faster climber, but Inuyasha was the stronger one. They started to talk and relax with each other; Kagome even waited for him. They made it to the top twice before actually quitting.  
  
Later they met Sango and Miroku who were finished with their workouts for the day and the grand total of wins, losses, and ties for the day was Sango: 6-3-2 and Miroku: 3-6-2. Sango admitted that she never once let him win, and Miroku admitted that he had more than once let her win. He had let her win 3 of the six times she won. He had to have some kind of fun getting pinned by Sango right?  
  
Everybody headed back for the locker rooms to shower; everybody was too tired for swimming today. Kagome was the first to finish so she walked to the lobby and used her cell phone to check her messages. Only the ones she forgot to delete last night were on the machine. So she waited and after a while Inuyasha came out. He walked over to Kagome and they just stood there next to each other when her cell rang. She answered and the following conversation took place.  
  
"Kagome? This is your manager, listen we need a favor, I know it's your guys' day off, but could you please come and play again, the band scheduled for today called in and said they weren't going to make it and we can't fill the time slot."  
  
"How long do we have to get there, and how long is this gonna take?" she asked.  
  
"You've got about half an hour and the gig will last until the next band shows up."  
  
"Hold on, let me check really quick," she said.  
  
"I heard Kagome, we can do it, all we need is my van and the others," Inuyasha said quietly.  
  
"We can do it, we'll be there as soon as we can," she said and hung up the phone.  
  
Sango and Miroku came out walking briskly and chattering with each other. Inuyasha and Kagome grabbed them both by the wrists and ran to the cars. Kagome shoved her gym bag into Sango's trunk and flew into the passenger seat while Sango started the car and drove to the Blue Moon as fast as possible. Miroku followed closely to set up the light show.  
  
Inuyasha went back to his home to get his van and Kouga. He squealed into his garage and switched vehicles. He defied all the laws of the road and grabbed Kouga off Kagome's doormat. He practically blew up his engine to get to the Blue Moon on time. Kouga nearly wet himself. Kagome ran outside with Sango and the unloaded everything and set it all up. Kouga had to sit down to play steadily and Inuyasha was about to have a heart attack.  
  
The manager used Kagome's microphone to make an announcement.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen and bikers.we are sorry to inform you that 'Hair Ball' will not be performing tonight because of some transportation difficulties, but the band to replace them is a great band indeed. Let's give it up for the 'Revolutions'!" she said.  
  
The crowd seemed to care less if Hair Ball performed and waited politely for the music to start. Inuyasha played the first few chords of he song, followed quickly by Kouga and the others.  
  
"Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry. You don't know how lovely you are," Kagome sang clearly.  
  
"I have to find you, tell you I need you, tell you I set you apart," Inuyasha sang.  
  
"Tell me your secrets, ask me your questions, oh let's go back to the start," Miroku continued slowly.  
  
"Running in circles, calling it tails, heads on science apart," Sango sang.  
  
"Nobody said it was easy, oh it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be so hard, I'll take you back to the start," they all sang in unisons.  
  
"I was just guessing, the numbers and figures, pulling the puzzles apart," Inuyasha began.  
  
"Questions of science, science and progress, that loves me as loud as my heart," Kagome followed.  
  
"Tell me you love me, come back and hold me, don't wanna rush to the start," Sango came in.  
  
"Running in circles, chasing our tails, coming back as we are," Miroku cut in.  
  
"Nobody said it was easy," Inuyasha started.  
  
"Oh it's such a shame for us to part," Kagome picked up  
  
"Nobody said it was easy," Miroku gracefully leaped in.  
  
"No one ever said it would be so hard," Sango set up.  
  
"I'm going back to the start," they all sang.  
  
"Oh oooooh, oh ooooh" Kouga softly howled.  
  
The song ended there and many more came by and left. Until about 10:30. The next band arrived at the last few chords of 'numb'. Kagome's manager came up on the stage again with a look of immense gratitude on her face when she looked at Kagome. The expression changed to a big smile as she faced the crowd to announce the next band.  
  
"Let's have a huge round of applause for our stand in band the Revolutions! Now the next band is a very mellowed out band, more cheery then the last, let's hear it for the Slayers!" she cried. The lights on the first stage (Kagome's stage) went out, and the second stage lit up like a star.  
  
A single spotlight fell on a woman in a black cape with fiery red hair. She was in a black suit and heeled boots. The light spread to include another girl with purple hair in a white suit and shorter cape with the same kind of shoes except they were white instead of black. The light continued to spread onto a guy with long blonde hair in a blue shirt and blue jeans with blue shoes. Finally the light fell on a man with a red suit and green scale like make up with a full head of spiked purple hair. They all threw flash powder onto the stage and in their hands appeared instruments. The blonde guy was a drummer, the guy in make up was down with bass, and the girl with purple hair was at a keyboard, and the woman with red hair had a microphone.  
  
Music started to play and out came one of the sweetest song redoes voices of all time; Lina Inverse was singing a slow song in a punkish tune.  
  
"Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree, travel the world at seventeen," she began. The Inuyasha gang had left just as the other band was starting to play.  
  
Kagome got a ride home with Inuyasha and she took her stuff out of Sango's car. Kouga got a lift with Sango, and Miroku went home all by his lonesome. Kagome talked to Inuyasha about how well the gig went for minute or so but then it all fell to awkward silence.  
  
"So did you have fun today?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, did you?" he replied.  
  
"Yeppers," she answered.  
  
Inuyasha pulled up to her house and walked her to her door. She thanked him and gave him a hug, like she used to do all the time. When she went inside and he walked back to his van they waited a little bit watching each other, and finally Inuyasha left. Kouga was dropped off shortly after Inuyasha left and he thanked Sango. He was much too tired to sneak around near Kagome's house now; he'd do it tomorrow.  
  
When Sango showed up at her house she noticed Miroku's car up the road. She sighed and parked in her garage as Miroku pulled up.  
  
~~~  
  
How's that for a cliffhanger?! What's gonna happen at Sango? Are Inuyasha and Kagome falling in love? When's Kikyo coming back? And for the love of Pete, when will I get a life? I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. Please review; if you do, I'll review your story(s). Please? Bye for now! Love you guys!  
  
Rock on,  
  
Sapphire 


	4. What's Going On With Us?

Battle of the Bands  
  
Chapter 4  
  
What's Going On With Us?  
  
Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay in the updates. I haven't been real inspired as of late. At least not on this story. Anywho, let's see. not too many reviews, but thanks to those who did, I truly appreciate it. For those of you who are stingy with reviews, don't expect to get many from me, if I find out who you are. Anywho, the lyrics featured in this chapter, which will be pretty long if I can help it, are all new to the fic. So generally there will be no repeats of lyrics, mainly because I don't feel like typing them again, though I do like to listen to the CD's while I type. I hope you guys are enjoying this story and if you aren't oh well, I like it. That's really all that matters in my book. Well I guess that's all I have to say for now. Oh yeah, have happy and safe holidays! And now to the story...  
  
~  
  
Sango sighed as Miroku pulled into her driveway. What now? What was going on? Miroku got out of his awesome car and walked to her. She looked him square in the eyes and noticed that they were glazed over. Something was wrong with Miroku. This did not happen a lot. Miroku was not easily shaken by anything or anybody. Feeling as though she would need to sit down to hear what was wrong, she grabbed his hand and took him inside. He sat down on her sofa when they were inside, and feeling like she should be his support no matter what he did, she sat next to him.  
  
"What's wrong Miroku? What happened?" Sango asked.  
  
"I just got a phone call from my dad, my mom died a few minutes ago at home," Miroku replied in a hoarse and weak voice. Not being able to hold the tears back any more, he cried. He let his vision go blurry and his head drop. He heard Sango gasp and felt her tense up next to him. He was surprised to feel her arms slip around him.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. Oh Miroku, I want you to know I'm here for you. Just know that."  
  
Miroku didn't know how he could not burst if he didn't tell somebody. He couldn't bear it all by himself. Miroku felt Sango relax a little bit, and he didn't know how to say it, but it came out fast, slurred and muffled anyway.  
  
"She died because he was abusing her--because I wasn't there to stop him any more. He turned himself in and now he's going to die too. I don't have anyone left Sango. I don't know what to do."  
  
There, he said it. He didn't feel any better though. Sango tensed up again and let go of him. She got up and pushed him back into the sofa. He didn't stop crying, and he shouldn't have to. His whole world just fell apart. Sango had started crying too and she looked him straight in the eyes again. He couldn't bring himself to even blink. Her eyes pierced right through him and for some strange reason calmed him a little bit.  
  
"Listen to me carefully okay? Nothing is your fault. It isn't your fault. You couldn't have known, even if you did, you couldn't have done anything. When my family died in the fire, I though it was all my fault. I kept thinking about 'what ifs' and all it got me was more pain. I realized it wouldn't have mattered if I'd been there or not. I probably would have died with them, and I told myself that they wouldn't want this for me. I started to move on, but I never forgot them. They don't want this for you, nobody does," Sango told him.  
  
She felt Miroku go slack with shock. Sango never brought up her past; it was way too painful to talk about. Miroku never thought she would ever bring this sort of thing up, and he didn't think she cared so much. He kept crying, but not as hard. He hugged her and managed to get out a few words.  
  
"It hurts. I never got to say good bye, I never got to tell her how much I loved her, I never got to thank her for all of the things she did for me. It isn't fair. It isn't fair."  
  
"I know, I know. You don't deserve this; she didn't deserve it either. Nobody does," She answered him. She hugged him tighter and he let out all his tears on her.  
  
He whispered a soft, "Thank you Sango," before he fell asleep. Sango let go of him and pulled away. She pulled a blanket out of her closet and put it on him. An immense sadness gripped Sango's heart as she watched her friend sleep she looked at the picture of her beautiful and amazing family on the end table next to Miroku. She felt herself tear up again and grabbed a tissue from the coffee table. She changed into her pajamas and let down her hair. She combed it and braided it. Sango decided to sleep in the same room as Miroku in case he needed her again. She grabbed another blanket and used him for a pillow. They slept like this all night long.  
  
Kagome was just starting to get undressed when her phone rang. She pulled her shirt back on and ran to the phone. It was Inuyasha.  
  
"Kagome?" he asked.  
  
"No this is Frosty the snow man, who are you Inuyasha?"  
  
"This isn't the time Kagome. Turn on your TV to channel 2."  
  
"Uh-oh, that's never a good sign," she said as she grabbed the remote and did as instructed. She didn't like what she saw.  
  
A picture a beautiful woman with blue eyes and long black hair was being displayed on the screen. She was identified as Sakiko Dashimi. Her husband had murdered her that night and he'd turned himself in as soon as he realized he was dead. Things like this happen all the time, but Sakiko Dashimi was Miroku's mom. Kagome dropped the phone and fell to her knees in shock. Inuyasha's loud shouts came to her through the phone and all she could do was stare at the TV in horror and cry.  
  
The next day Kagome and Inuyasha dressed in black and drove to Miroku's apartment, but he wasn't there. They called Sango, but there was no answer. They were just flat out worried now. Inuyasha drove them to Sango's house and saw Miroku's car there. They parked on the street and walked to the door. Kagome rang the doorbell and Sango answered it in her robe and slippers looking very much asleep. She let them in and asked them to be quiet because Miroku was still asleep. She told them both what happened and she saw their hearts break before her very eyes.  
  
Miroku stirred on the sofa and she made a snap decision. She stood up and ushered Kagome and Inuyasha to the door.  
  
"You guys, wait for us at the Blue Moon okay? We'll be there in a few minutes."  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome nodded in agreement and left Sango to handle Miroku. He would have to be really fragile and raw, it was better to take it slow than to hit him all at once. The poor guy had been through enough. As he started to get up he noticed Sango was staring off into space with a thoughtful look on her face. She snapped back to her senses when he stood up.  
  
There was an awkward silence and then Miroku broke it with a simple question.  
  
"Did Inuyasha and Kagome come by already?" he asked Sango. But he didn't need an answer as soon as he saw her shocked expression. She answered anyway.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know about that?" she asked.  
  
"I know them too well. I also know that you told them what happened last night. They must have been pretty upset. You must have been worried about their reactions to me."  
  
'Damn he is good. He knows me better than I know my shoe size.' She thought. He walked to her and hugged her. She didn't know what to do or say so she just stood there like a stunned little girl and let him hug her. When he pulled away his azure blue eyes locked on her dark brown ones. He smiled for the first time since he showed up last night and before she knew it happened he kissed her on the cheek and said good bye.  
  
He walked out to his car and was about to get in when Sango yelled: "Miroku! Meet me at the Blue Moon!"  
  
He nodded at her and drove back to his apartment building. He showered and changed into a pair of baggy blue jeans and a black Linkin Park T-shirt. He put on his watch and drove to the café. Inuyasha and Kagome were already there. He sighed and walked to the table. He braced himself for a barrage of questions and concerned stares, but when he got to their table, he was cheerfully greeted and nothing of the sort happened. He was a little surprised.  
  
Sango ran to get dressed. She pulled on a red shirt that said 'I wouldn't stare if I were you.' and a pair of black hip huggers. She ran to her car and practically street raced to the café. She saw that Miroku and the others had a cheery conversation going on so she joined the party.  
  
"Hey everybody, sorry I'm so late, traffic was a bitch."  
  
"Hey Sango!" came pretty much everybody's answer. She sat next to Miroku, across from Kagome.  
  
That's when the manager walked on stage and introduced the band as Outlaw Star. This band had won the battle of the bands like three times in a row. The waitress had time to take their orders before she was shoed away. Inuyasha and the others watched as the band took the stand. To everyone's surprise they played a slow song that Melphina, Sazuka, and Accia sang as the opening song.  
  
"Like a flower in a hurricane," Melphina sang  
  
"A finger painting left out in the pouring rain, " Sazuka continued from the Keyboard.  
  
"Sweet words whispered on a subway train," Accia broke in playing the bass.  
  
"Wasted and lost in all the noise," they all sang.  
  
"Beautiful," Accia sang.  
  
"Breakable," Sazuka picked up.  
  
"Like a butterfly in an angry world," Melphina broke in.  
  
"So breakable," they sang together.  
  
"She lies wide awake hearing their screams," Sazuka started.  
  
"When the front door slams, she knows what that means," Accia continued.  
  
"Though she shuts her eyes the tears still stream," Melphina sang.  
  
"Lonely and lost in all the noise," they sang in unisons.  
  
"Beautiful," Accia sang.  
  
"Breakable," Sazuka broke in.  
  
"Like a butterfly, in an angry world," Melphina went on.  
  
"So breakable," They all sang together again.  
  
"Beautiful," Sazuka sang.  
  
"Innocent," Melphina broke in.  
  
"In an angry world," Accia continued smoothly.  
  
"So breakable," they harmonized together.  
  
"The heart is fragile," Sazuka sang.  
  
"Handle with care," Accia continued.  
  
"Hold it, it's precious, there's treasure in there," Melphina sang.  
  
"Breakable," Accia sang.  
  
"Beautiful," Sazuka sang.  
  
"Like a butterfly, in an angry world," Melphina sang.  
  
"So breakable" they all sang.  
  
"Beautiful," Accia sang.  
  
"Innocent, in an angry world," Melphina carried on.  
  
"So breakable," all three sang.  
  
Then the song was over. The waitress came back with everyone's order and left again. Everybody in the audience applauded with enthusiasm. The three girls bowed and got ready to sing another song. Sango thought she saw Miroku cry a little during the song but didn't say anything. The group decided to take their coffee to go and leave before they decided to stay all day. They said good bye and went on their separate ways. Kagome and Inuyasha went skating and Miroku and Sango decided to go to the park.  
  
At the park.  
  
Sango had decided to be Miroku's shoulder since he'd done it for her when he fond out her family got caught in the fire. Sango had had a lot of emotional baggage in the month after the incident, she knew it would be no different with Miroku. Even if he was a pervert and a player, he deserved friends when he needed them too didn't he? Sango stayed with him, walking in silence until they got to the middle of the park. Sango put on her most convincing fake smile and looked at the person next to her. He almost looked like a lost little boy being pulled along by a big sister. He looked at her with eyes so full of sadness she wanted to close them.  
  
His eyes penetrated hers and they stood like that for a long time. Sango was going insane. She didn't know what to do or what to say to him. He was just standing there staring at her. She was in shock and there was a surprised and confused look in her eyes. She was ready to die. Miroku did something he never thought he'd do to Sango.  
  
He grabbed Sango and kissed her forehead. Before she had time to react to this little development, he was off and running up the path ahead. It took two whole seconds for her to recover. He had gotten to be a fast runner. She ran after him full speed, but those two seconds were costing her. She dug deep for the extra burst of speed she needed in order to catch up with him. She ended up leaping for him and doing a sort of flying tackle landing them both in the huge pile of leaves (Did I mention it's autumn and unusually warm in the day?) that was on the side of the path.  
  
Sango was just flat out confused now. She got off of him and pulled him up.  
  
"What on earth is going on here? First you stare at me for like an hour and then you pull a kiss and run move? I think not! You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on here!"  
  
"So I can't run away huh?" he asked.  
  
"I'll catch you every time you even try," she said.  
  
Miroku smiled for the first time that day, genuinely. He looked deep into her eyes and answered, "I have to plan my mom's funeral, appear to testify at the hearing and on top of all that I have to turn in my thesis, I have to get going."  
  
"I don't believe you are telling the truth Miroku. Maybe you do have to do those things and have to get going, but that is not the reason you ran away from me. I've never seen you move that fast in my life. Truthfully, that's hurtful. "  
  
He couldn't move. She knew him too well, he couldn't tell her what was bothering him though, not to the girl who had watch her entire family vanish in smoke. The only family member that she had left was Kilala. He couldn't tell her that he was afraid. That he didn't know what to do. That he was so sad he could die. He couldn't tell her. He wouldn't be able to face her ever again if he did. Before he realized what was going on, Sango was embracing him in the warmest hug he'd ever received. So he cried on her shoulder.  
  
At the skate park.  
  
Inuyasha was pulling some awesome tricks on the rail. Kagome was practicing her stunt blading on every obstacle possible. Inuyasha couldn't help but watch in awe. She was like a machine. Even if she messed up and fell, she just rubbed the sore spot and got back up to try it again. After a while he got back on his board and went back to doing his own thing. After a while of pulling off some more amazing tricks he went over to watch Kagome again, but this time she was gone. He couldn't see her anywhere. He called out her name and saw someone fly out of the pipe with Kagome in his arms. It was Kouga.  
  
"Hang on Kagome, I'll get you some help," Kouga told Kagome. She was unconscious at the moment though, so she wasn't comforted at all.  
  
"Kouga! What's going on?" Inuyasha yelled.  
  
"I came into the pipe to try a new trick that I learned the other day and Kagome was like this when I found her. I'm taking her to the infirmary by the soccer fields," he answered.  
  
~  
  
It must really suck to be left with so many cliffhangers! As you probably guessed, this is the end of the chapter. What did you think of it? Tell me in your review by clicking that cute little "go" button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. I was planning on making it a much longer chapter with more songs by better artists. I know like nobody has heard of Rose Falcon, but that's the artist used in this chapter of the story. I meant for a lot more to happen in this chapter. A new band was supposed to be introduced (besides Outlaw Star) and the main band was going to perform, and a whole bunch of stuff that will happen next chapter. What's gonna happen to Kagome? Is something happening between Sango and Miroku, or is it just grief? Will Kouga get closer to Kagome? Is Kikyo ever coming back? I really wanted to update before New Years, so I rushed this chapter along. I'm sorry if that was evident. I'm pretty happy with this chapter, considering it was rushed. Well I have to go work on other stories now. Happy New Year everybody!  
  
Love ya!  
  
Sapphire 


	5. Conflicting Emotions

Battle of the Bands  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Conflicting Emotions  
  
Hey everybody! It feels so good to be writing this story again. Good news! I have decided to ring lots of conflict into the story, so far the only conflict has been between Miroku and his family. You've also heard a little bit about Sango's pain. Guess who that leaves wide open. That's right, Kikyo, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kouga. Wow! All in one chapter, I must be crazy! Well enjoy the chapter, and please review, I need more of those to keep me going. By the way, thanks for your support Angry Soul.  
  
~  
  
Kikyo sighed as she walked to the train station. It was a short walk and a rather monotonous one at that. She hadn't been getting much rest because of the playing of three midnight and noon concertos in a row. Thoughts that nagged in the back of her head about Inuyasha also haunted her every minute she was awake. How she had really hurt him that day she broke up with him. She didn't even ask for his side of the story, it was just all over.  
  
As she rounded the corner she saw a poster for the upcoming battle of the bands. It had a great design of two cartoon like characters with guitars glaring at each other with electricity going between them. They were facing each other as though they were really ready to fight. Though the comical sight made her smile, that smile quickly faded as her thoughts were once more drawn to Inuyasha. Her vision blurred as she remembered everything about her fight with Kagome and the look on Inuyasha's face. That day was one of the worst days of her life.  
  
She had begun to wonder if she had done the right thing in breaking up with Inuyasha. It had hurt both Inuyasha and Kagome. Kikyo had severed her ties with both of them. It was Naraku's thoughts that corrupted her. Naraku, the social outcast, had become one of the school's dark and sinister forces. He had made it his mission to try and upset the balance and tranquillity of the school. Naraku had twisted her slowly and torturously into believing that Inuyasha and her best friend Kagome were having an affair. Maybe it had been a mistake, but it would have happened sooner or later anyway. Kikyo had been feeling somewhat left out when it came to those two when they were together. It always made her feel like the real third wheel of the group. Her eyes began to form tears and blur.  
  
All of the sudden Kikyo ran into someone. It was Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother.  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Kouga was pacing again. It had been a while since Kagome was deposited at the medical building in the park. Inuyasha was just sitting and getting annoyed that Kouga wouldn't stop pacing. It got to him so much that he finally yelled out: "Dude! The only thing that's going to accomplish is putting a hole in the floor!" Kouga nearly jumped out of his skin and cussed Inuyasha out. But he did stop. (And so the stealing from Pirates of the Caribbean begins..)  
  
A nurse came out of the room where Kagome was being treated for whatever was wrong with her. Kouga nearly pounced her to get the information, but Inuyasha held him back. He did, however, ask the nurse for the details. Because even though his calm expression hid it, he was worried.  
  
"Ms. Higurashi is going to be just fine. It's a small case of dehydration. She's just got to be more careful in the sun. She probably didn't take enough water breaks or rest that much. From what I can tell, she's very active. Just make sure she drinks plenty of water for today. Other than that, she's free to go and just fine," the nurse explained.  
  
Inuyasha breathed a silent sigh of relief, and Kouga's sigh was all but silent. Kagome walked out of the room where she'd been getting treatment. She was holding her skates and a water bottle and she was looking a little tired and pale too; that quickly faded when she saw Kouga and Inuyasha staring at her. It didn't take her long to ask what was so interesting about her, but Inuyasha merely asked if she wanted a lift home. Kouga on the other hand, assaulted her with questions like "are you okay?" and "do you want me to carry you?" and things like that.  
  
"Kouga, I'm fine, really. I can walk, no need to carry me," Kagome said, trying desperately to make him stop.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure?" Kouga asked. He grabbed her hands and stroked them looking deeply into her eyes.  
  
Inuyasha thought he was gonna be sick and Kagome was turning all kinds of red. It was really not something he wanted to see. He made rather loud gagging sounds that would have ruined the moment for anyone else except for Kouga. Kouga just kept staring into Kagome's brown eyes. She couldn't move and the water bottle, as well as her skates, was falling out of her grasp. Inuyasha had had as much as he could take. He hit Kouga upside the head and tore Kagome away from Kouga's grasp. He put her over his shoulder and walked out the door with her constantly telling him to put her down and trying to hang on to everything without losing her balance. When they got to the parking lot he set her down and asked if she needed a ride to her house. She said no and he left her alone. She sat on the curb with him for a while and Inuyasha made sure she drank every last ounce of the water in the bottle.  
  
Kouga was now watching as Inuyasha moved in on his woman. He couldn't believe that mangy mutt was actually scoring points with Kagome. It was enough to make him sick. He couldn't take anymore of Inuyasha's constant getting in the way of his efforts to woo said maiden.  
  
"Inuyasha, I'm going to go and get some water, I'll be right back," Kagome said as she stood up to do so.  
  
"You want me to go with you?" he asked her. He was pretty careful about leaving her alone. If anyone messed with Kagome, they messed with him. The only other person he ever truly felt that way about was Kikyo, but that had changed, at least, he thought so. He batted the painful memories away in his mind and cleared his thoughts.  
  
"I'll be fine, don't worry," Kagome said. She flashed a brilliant smile and walked in the general direction of the water fountain. She was, however, cut off by Kouga.  
  
"Kagome, I need to tell you something, it's really important. I need you to know something really important." Kouga started. He was interrupted by Kagome's cell phone. It was Sango, and she had some good news.  
  
"Kagome, we got another gig tonight at Blue Moon, they need a mellow rock performance, followed directly by a hard rock session, that's exactly our style! We can try out the new song too!" she practically creamed into Kagome's ear.  
  
"When is it?" she asked while rubbing her ear.  
  
"It's in an hour, Miroku and I will meet you guys there and set up the stage," Sango answered.  
  
"Okay, I'll let them know. Bye Sango!" Kagome replied and hung up her phone.  
  
Kagome put away her cell and told Kouga. They both told Inuyasha and they all hopped in his van, except for Kouga who had brought his own car. Inuyasha took Kagome home so she could shower and get ready. Kouga had somehow beaten them to the punch. He was all ready to go, and looking pretty spiff. Something was different though, what was it? Kagome figured it out first.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Kouga, why'd you cut your hair? How much did you hack off?" she asked him.  
  
It was true; his long hair had bitten the dust. He cut it off when he got home. It was now short like Miroku's hair, minus the ponytail. It actually looked pretty hot. Kagome suddenly felt very aware of the small distance between her and Kouga. Inuyasha effectively ruined the moment by choosing that exact moment to start his van. They both got in and she snapped out of it rather quickly. After all, this was Kouga. The guy stalked her and tried at every turn to make her fall in love with him. But then.he was always the charmer, and he had quite a few endearing traits..  
  
Meanwhile..  
  
Kikyo thought she had run into Inuyasha for a moment. She almost made the mistake of asking if the person was indeed Inuyasha. She soon realized it was not Inuyasha, but his older brother Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru had become a very talented businessman with the knack to attract the attention of any room. He had virtually everyone under his spell. He had silver hair just like Inuyasha, but Sesshomaru's was better taken care of. He also had the same color eyes as Inuyasha, brilliant amber. His were more serious and lacking emotion. His face was the thing that everyone tended to notice the most about Sesshomaru. While he was good looking, he had a crescent moon shaped birthmark on his forehead. He also had four scars on his face that looked like claw marks. They were all on the sides of his face.  
  
Kikyo had begun blushing unconsciously because of how incredibly gorgeous he was. She apologized quickly. But she asked the one question she ought not to have asked Sesshomaru.  
  
"Pardon me, but, are you related to an Inuyasha Hayashi?" she blurted out.  
  
He answered with a cold, "Yes, he's my little brother. Why?"  
  
"It's just that you look so much like him.I just wondered," she said.  
  
"How do you know my brother?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'm his ex, Kikyo Ina," she answered stiffly.  
  
"Well, fancy meeting you here Miss Ina, where are you going?" Sesshomaru asked.  
  
"I'm just going to the train station to buy a ticket home for Thursday, that's when I go back. I'm surprising my friends. They don't think I'll be back until Saturday. I'm playing in the symphony here and I'm their manager in Tokyo."  
  
"Manager?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm the manager of the band, we've named ourselves 'Revolutions'."  
  
"Kikyo, I haven't seen my little brother in ages, would you mind if I went with you back to Tokyo? I need to take care of a few things. I wouldn't know where to find him without you," Sesshomaru cooed.  
  
"Well, I don't care. Do as you please, after all, he's your family."  
  
Without realizing it, Sesshomaru had hit a raw nerve with the proposal he just made. Fortunately for us, he didn't care. All that was on his mind was what to say to his little brother.  
  
Back in Tokyo  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Revolutions!" the manager of the café said. The thunderous applause drove her off stage. As soon as she was out of sight, the band started playing their new song. The surprising thing was, Kouga actually had a singing part in this one.  
  
"So I look in your direction, but you pay me no attention, do you?" Kouga began.  
  
"I know you don't listen to me, 'cause you say you see straight through me don't you?" Miroku picked up.  
  
"With all that I am from the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep," Inuyasha smoothed out.  
  
"I'll be there by your side just you try and stop me," Kouga sang.  
  
"I'll be waiting in line just to see if you care," Sango continued.  
  
"Oh.Did you want me to change? Well I'd change for good," Kagome belted out.  
  
"And I want you to know," Miroku began.  
  
"That you'll always get you way," Inuyasha continued in a higher pitched tone.  
  
"I wanted to say," Sango picked up.  
  
"Don't you shiver," Miroku and Inuyasha sang in the higher pitched voices.  
  
"Shiver," Kouga and Inuyasha sang together in the higher pitched voices.  
  
"Sing it loud, and clear," Kagome and Sango sang in perfect harmony.  
  
"I'll always be waiting for you," Kouga sang smoothly.  
  
"So you know how much I need you, but you never even see me do you?" Miroku picked up.  
  
"Is this my final chance of getting." Inuyasha picked up in the higher pitch once again.  
  
"With all that I am from the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep," Kagome sang.  
  
"I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me," Sango continued.  
  
"I'll be waiting in line just to see if you care," Inuyasha picked up.  
  
"If you care.." Miroku sang in a very back up singer-ish way.  
  
"Oh.Did you want me to change?" Inuyasha sang in a powerful tone.  
  
"Well I'd change for good," Kouga picked up.  
  
"And I want you to know," Miroku cut in.  
  
"That you'll always get your way," Sango sang in a higher tone than usual.  
  
"I wanted to say," Kagome put in.  
  
"Don't you shiver," Miroku and Inuyasha sang in high tones.  
  
"Don't you shiver," Kouga and Miroku sang in high tones.  
  
"Sing it loud and clear," Kagome and Sango sang in harmonic and high pitches.  
  
"I'll always be waiting for you," Kouga sang.  
  
"Yeah, I'll always be waiting for you," Kagome and Inuyasha sang.  
  
"Yeah, I'll always be waiting for you," Sango and Miroku sang together.  
  
"Yeah I'll always be waiting for you," Inuyasha sang.  
  
"For you, I will always be waiting," Sango started.  
  
"Yeah it's you I see, but you don't see me," Kouga cut her off.  
  
"And it's you I hear, so loud and so clear," Kagome interjected.  
  
"Sing it loud and clear," Inuyasha sang in his normal tones.  
  
"I will always be waiting for you," Miroku sang.  
  
"So I look in your direction, but you pay me no attention," Kagome sang.  
  
"And you know how much I need you, but you even see me." Kouga sang.  
  
Then the song was over. The gig lasted a few more songs and ended with 'numb'. When the gig was over a huge applause sent them off. Kouga was now being fawned over by all sorts of girls, and Kagome nearly got killed because of a freshly spread rumor that she and Kouga were going out with each other. She had actually climbed on top of Inuyasha's van for refuge. Inuyasha had to call the police to make it stop. Several girls had nearly raped Kouga at once and he was quite thankful to all of the officers.  
  
"Kagome, I need to tell you something, it's really important," Kouga repeated himself.  
  
"Sure, just a second," she answered while trying to get off of the roof of Inuyasha's van without killing herself.  
  
Kouga caught her as she dropped to the pavement of the parking lot. She was stuck between him and the van, which Inuyasha had resumed loading after the police broke up the riot. Sango and Miroku were helping him. Kouga looked deeply into Kagome's eyes and told her the one thing she saw coming, but couldn't have been prepared for.  
  
"I love you Kagome," he said.  
  
He kissed Kagome in the parking lot directly in front of Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha, and she'd been too shocked to pull away.  
  
~  
Another short cliff. Very sad, yet very necessary. Tell me how I did! I wanna know what you thought, even if you thought it sucked. I don't care. I really don't care if you hate it so long as I like it. As long as you review I'm happy. Don't worry the next chapter is much longer and will have more bands and more story involving Kikyo and Sesshomaru as well as Kouga, who's been left out of a lot of my story. Will Inuyasha be jealous? Will Kagome fall in love with Kouga? Will Kikyo and Sesshomaru cause problems for Inuyasha? What is the purpose of Sesshomaru's visit? You'll know in the next chapter of Battle of the Bands: Spies, Lies, and Love. ^.^ Thanks for reading, and please review. Reviews make me happy.  
  
Love you lots,  
  
Sapphire 


	6. Spies, Lies, and Love

Battle of the Bands

Chapter 6

Spies, Lies, and Love

Hey there everybody, I'm back with another beautiful slice of writing. Last chapter I failed to mention in my author's notes that I used Cold Play's 'Shiver' for the chapter song. I still didn't get as much stuff as I wanted to in the last chapter, which was once again very short. To those who read and review, I'm very sorry for this. I'll try harder to not end the chapter so early, but it was a really good stopping point, and I was tired, please forgive me...I'm an evil author. Well, moving right along, I hope to introduce another band this chapter if I can get to it. The way this fic is looking, there won't be many more chapters coming your way. It'll probably be the first one I finish. Wow... that's scary. I'll let you read in peace now. Get ready 'cause this chapter's gonna be really different!

Sapphire -

Kagome was in shock. Koga was kissing her in a crowded parking lot in front of her friends, and his! Something about that sent her into mental shut down. It was unbelievable, not only had Koga confessed his true love for her, he'd kissed her in the process. What is one supposed to say to that? That thought stayed in Kagome's mind as Koga pulled away and looked into her eyes once more. She was turning all sorts of red.

All Sango could do was stare in disbelief. Miroku looked from Inuyasha to Koga and back and stared at the scene with his mouth open. Inuyasha looked like he was gonna faint. Something wasn't right about that picture. A paralyzing shock in Inuyasha's system had made him look like the kid who sees an act of violence they aren't supposed to see. He somehow felt hurt by what just happened, and confusion rose up from deep within him.

"Miroku, what just happened?" Inuyasha asked.

"Koga confessed his love for her and before she could respond, he pulled her into a kiss," came Miroku's shocked reply.

"Why'd she just let this happen?" he asked no one in particular.

"She didn't have much of a choice did she?" Sango replied.

Kagome finally broke the silence and came back to her senses. Standing up straight against the van, she fixed a look of determination on her face.

"Look Kouga, I appreciate that you feel that way about me, but what am I supposed to say to you? I can't tell you that I love you the same way you seem to love me; that wouldn't be true. I can't tell you that I have no feelings for you either, that would be a lie. What am I supposed to do?" she asked genuinely confused.

"You don't have to say anything Kagome, just let me love you, let me be there," Koga said.

Kagome couldn't talk, Inuyasha was torn between depression and relief, Sango was watching this event rather like a soap opera, and Miroku had become Sango's crying shoulder and soap-watching buddy.

"Koga, I don't know what to say. I....I'm not ready, you can't always be there, and I can't return your feelings, I'm sorry, but we have to stay just as friends."

Koga looked like he was gonna faint. Something had made him go stiff, his eyes widened, and his skin turned a sickly pale. He kept his eyes locked on hers and for a moment he looked frightened. Then, as if on cue, the color returned to his skin and his expression changed form that of a frightened child, to that of an angry demon. He spun around and glared at Inuyasha.

It all happened in a blur. Koga ran with a demon-like speed and attacked Inuyasha where he stood. Sango grabbed the instrument in Inuyasha's hands and Miroku grabbed Koga.

"This is all your fault mutt face!" Koga yelled at Inuyasha. Miroku was doing a remarkably good job at restraining Koga, even though Koga was much stronger because of his rage.

"It's all your fault! If you had just left Kagome to me, she would love me instead of you! You will die for this pain you caused!" Koga screamed hysterically. His eyes began glowing bright red, and his hair grew back. Fangs grew in his mouth; his nails grew to be like claws and a tail sprouted from his back. Koga's muscle size increased by the second until he looked more like a weight trainer than a musician.

Miroku was thrown to the ground after putting up a great fight, but he was no match for Koga's demon strength. Sango threw the instrument she was holding to Kagome, who barely caught it, and ran to Miroku to check out the poor guy's wounds. Kagome whimpered a moan of fear and lost all feeling in her legs. She was on her knees before she realized what happened to her height. Sango watched with fury in her eyes, mixed with intense confusion and mild amusement. Miroku got back to his feet and prepared to protect Sango and Kagome if necessary. At that moment a strange looking cat had decided to walk behind Sango and took a defensive stance. Sango who was on her knees stayed there by the cat, which for some strange reason, felt sort of...natural.

Kagome watched the scene in horror as she realized what had happened. Koga had turned into a demon.

Koga looked down at his prey with a grim satisfaction. He had successfully gotten rid of Miroku and cornered Inuyasha. He didn't let Inuyasha move a muscle. As he felt foreign words leave his mouth he prepared to strike down his prey. Inuyasha's amber eyes were both calm and angry. They were fierce enough to scare Miroku out of his wits. Koga let fly a punch aimed directly for Inuyasha's head that would have killed him if he hadn't dodged it at the last moment.

Inuyasha kicked Koga off of him. As he watched Koga, he hardly realized that his hair had grown about ten inches longer and much thicker than before. Koga had flown back a few feet and quickly regained his composure. His speed was unearthly as he retaliated with another swift punch that Inuyasha blocked with his hand. He hardly even moved. He stared at Koga and notice that the angry demon's ears had changed; they were more pointed now, like an elf's. Inuyasha felt a strange sensation in his body, but he didn't panic, it felt natural.

Koga pried free his fist and dropped in an attempt to sweep Inuyasha but his opponent saw it coming. Inuyasha jumped to avoid the attack, but he was a little surprised when he didn't come down right away. He shot up high into the air and landed in front of his van with much ease and grace. He suddenly became aware of his increased hearing and vision. Also, his sense of smell had greatly improved.

Koga launched an all out assault on Inuyasha and never once hit him. Inuyasha was different now. Koga noticed that his hair was longer, thicker, and he was stronger than before. He suddenly noticed that Inuyasha had dog-like ears. It seemed as though Inuyasha had changed into a half-demon.

"Koga stop! Don't do this!" Kagome finally managed to get out. Though it was a little late, it got Koga to pause.

"Please Koga, stop this now!" Kagome pleaded, "Inuyasha isn't to blame! I don't feel that way about him either!"

Even she knew she'd lied about that. She definitely felt something for Inuyasha, and it was much stronger than what she felt for Koga. She couldn't say it was love, though it was close enough to it. She had to say something. It didn't seem to deter Koga too much.

"I don't really care, he won't be much competition after I kill him now will he?" Koga answered while leaping after Inuyasha.

It became all too clear that not even Kagome could calm Koga. Things were getting out of hand. Miroku looked at Kagome who looked really worried. She was still on her knees and scared looking, clutching the instrument Sango had thrown her. She watched every moment with a horror that was unfathomable. Koga and Inuyasha had turned into demon-like creatures, and they were fighting because of her. Not a good scenario for one's psyche.

Sango began to feel her body change. A new feeling of courage came over her and she stood up ready to fight. The cat behind her now had three tails and ran to Sango's right side. She felt a wave of strength and energy flow through her body. She picked up Miroku's guitar case and held it over her shoulder. She took out the guitar and handed it to him. She picked up the cat and as she threw it, it burst into flames to be replaced with a huge cat demon that had flaming feet and tails. Sango leapt effortlessly unto the flying demon and flew towards Inuyasha and Koga. She used the guitar case as a weapon and beamed Koga with it in the head.

The metal guitar case knocked Koga out cold. Ouch. He fell to the ground and the strange mutations disappeared. His hair was short and his ears and muscles were normal again.

Inuyasha's muscles returned to their normal size, and his claws shrunk back into nails. His hair and ears returned to their normal state as well. Sango dropped the case and the feeling of strength and courage left her. The cat demon returned to its former self and vanished as well. Kagome, who'd watched the scene from a distance, was in shock. She and Miroku had seen it all. They were the only ones who had not changed. That was the first time in all his life Miroku had fainted. That was also the second time Kagome had fainted that day.

When Kagome woke up, she was in Sango's bed. The memories of what happened in the parking lot came flooding back to her. She dismissed it as a dream until she realized she was in the same clothes as in the parking lot. Terror, sheer shock, and complete confusion settled upon Kagome. It dawned on her that somebody must be here to explain what the hell just happened, and that was something she was desperate to know.

Against her better judgment, she got out of the bed and walked to Sango's living room where, as she suspected, everyone else was waiting for her. They all looked up grimly at her as she entered. Inuyasha made room for her since he had been stretched out like a cat on the sofa. The strange cat from before was on the arm of the sofa. Its three tails swished contentedly as Kagome sat down.

An awkward silence enveloped the room. Finally, Sango broke the silence.

"I guess, you're wondering what happened?"

"Duh," Kagome replied shortly.

"It appears as though Inuyasha and Koga were possessed by the spirits of a wolf demon and a half demon who had a score to settle. I still don't understand how you are involved in that, but I'll find out. Sango, it seems was possessed by the spirit of a demon slayer. That strange cat, is really a demon. I believe its name is Kirarah," Miroku said.

"How do you know all of this? What's going on?" Kagome asked.

"I told them," said an unknown voice.

"Who said that?" Kagome asked hugging Inuyasha very close.

Just then a flea jumped off of Kirarah, and onto the coffee table. "I am Mioga the flea. I have a very important message for all of you. The spirits that possessed you tonight were your pre-incarnated selves. Miroku is an amorous monk, Sango is a beautiful demon slayer, Kagome is a shrine priestess, and Inuyasha is a half demon. Koga was the leader of the wolf demon tribe from the south, if memory serves, and things like this will continue to happen until you each find your own talisman. Sango's talisman is a red feather from a fire phoenix. It just so happens that I have one for you since they are now extinct," the small creature said. Mioga pulled a red feather out of its pack and gave it to Sango.

"Why is it a feather from a fire phoenix?" Sango asked. She stuck the feather in her ponytail.

"What do you mean pre-incarnated?" Inuyasha asked confusedly.

"How do you know us?" Miroku asked.

"Why are you helping us?" Kagome asked.

"To answer young Sango's question, it is because it was the fire phoenix that delivered your pre-incarnated self's finishing blow," Mioga explained. "To answer Inuyasha's question, you are all the reincarnations of a person from the past. Hence the people from the past are your pre-incarnations. To answer Miroku's question, I'm a flea. I can tell that the blood in you is the blood of that of the pre-incarnations. I am helping you because it is my last job, once it is done I shall die after living a long life of servitude."

"Oh," was everyone's reply. It was apparent that nobody really understood in depth what Mioga was talking about, but they'd take care of that later.

"Master Inuyasha's talisman is Tetsaiga, the demon sword. I can only tell you that it is in the bottom of the sealed well of Higurashi shrine. Lady Kagome's talisman is an arrowhead. Master Miroku's talisman is a holy walking stick from the monastery called Meteora. Master Koga's talisman is a silver bullet. You will all need to find these things soon. The souls of your pre-incarnations are becoming restless. It appears only Lady Kagome's and Master Miroku's pre-incarnated souls are remaining intent. I do not know why, but it probably has something to do with their spiritual powers, however these powers will not always be able to hold back the spirits, and only heaven knows what will happen then. I implore you, find the talismans before it is too late," Mioga said.

"Mioga, what do you mean too late?" Koga asked.

"It means your restless souls will take over your bodies," Mioga said grimly.

An awkward silence fell over the room and an icy force gripped the occupants of the room's soul. They were going to have to find the talisman's up fast and in a hurry, or they'd miss the battle of the bands. That was something they would not do.

Meanwhile in Kyoto

"Sesshomaru Hayashi, it would seem our paths have crossed once again. Do you still want me to take you to your younger brother? Or have you changed your mind?" Kikyo asked.

"Miss. Ina, it's a pleasure to see you again. Please if you would, take me to my little brother. I would like to ask him something," Sesshomaru answered coolly.

It had been about ten minutes since the train made it to Tokyo. The both of them had boarded the train in different classes. Kikyo taking the cheaper compartment because of her limited income had gotten off the train first and decided to wait for the older Hayashi brother. He took his sweet time getting off the train and finding her, but she remained calm and diligent.

"I see, well, the best I can do for now is show you where he lives, I can't guarantee he'll be there. I don't know where he works anymore, you'll have to ask one of his other friends," Kikyo explained.

"Well I suppose you'll be leaving when you're done then?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Unless you need something else I can help you with, I'm afraid so," she replied indifferently.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you liked it, if you didn't you aren't very nice. Next chapter a new band, a new story line too. Just wait until the next chapter, lots of stuff is going down. Everyone goes on their own little adventure, except Kikyo and Sesshomaru. Hope you enjoy this lil twist. I realize it's unorthadox, but I don't really care. It gives me more of a challenge and it's hard to come by those when you get writer's block. Anywho, love to my loyal reviewers! Sorry so short. I hope next time to actually introduce Kenshin and Fushigi Yuugi characters in the next few chappies. Till next time, tootles my noodles!

-Sapphire


	7. Talisman Hunt

Chapter Seven

Talisman Hunt

Happy Easter, guys. I can't believe it's already been three years since I have worked on this! I've decided that I should take up writing again. What writer can consider themselves a true writer if they don't keep writing? I've been really busy with School, but since it's my last day of spring break, I thought I'd do something worth my time.

I'm finally going to put the cast of Rurouni Kenshin in this one. Hope you enjoy my selection for them in this one. Like I said last time, everyone is off to find their talismans.

* * *

A man with long red hair and an x-shaped scar on his face stood in front of a crowd. His hair pulled back, his lavender eyes scanning his fellow band-mates to see their readiness. He took a step forward in the darkness of the unlit stage and waited for his band to do the same.

As lights flooded the stage, three women and three guys were illuminated in bluish green lights, spot lights filtering through the crowd as the first energizing chords were played.

"In you and I, there's a new land," Koaru sang sweetly, her scarlet bow nearly hiding her long ponytail from view. She held her note cutting off just in time for the next more subdued phase.

"Angels in flight," Megumi followed up in a much lighter and soothing tone. It almost sounded desperate. She smiled, her red lipstick shining slightly in the beautiful light.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang. The reversed phrase had been ingrained into her mind as her crowning musical accomplishment. She smiled as her long braid fell from her shoulder.

"My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Koaru sang again, playing the keyboard.

"Where fears and lies melt away, yeah," Megumi picked up, drumming as needed.

"Music in time," Koaru sang in much the same tone Megumi had used earlier.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang, playing her part on guitar.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Megumi finished for the girls.

Kenshin played his part on guitar as he moved closer to his microphone to sing in his lovely tenor voice, yet it was infused with Aoshi and Sanoske's deeper bass, singing in harmony. "I watch you fast asleep. All I fear means nothing."

"In you and I there's a new land" Koaru picked up again.

"Angels in flight," Megumi breathed into the mic.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa smiled.

"My Sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Koaru sang.

"Where fears and lies melt away," Megumi poured into the mic.

"Music in time," Koaru picked up.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa continued.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Megumi finished

Kenshin and Sanoske played the bass and guitar chords for this part.

"Snwod dna spu ynam os" Misoa started.

"My heart's a battle ground," Koaru sang.

"Snoitome eurt deen I. Wonk uoy naht noissap deen I. snoitome eurt deen I," Misoa sang at the right times, her talents for memorizing the backwards statements earning her approving smiles from the band.

Then the keyboard and guitars came back in for the powerful ending. Aoshi, Sanoske and Kenshin came in again, but this time, Kenshin sang Harmony. "You show me how to see that nothing is whole and nothing is broken."

"In you and I there's a new land" Megumi started.

"Angels in flight," Koaru picked up her slack

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang once more.

"My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Megumi desperately produced each note, her soul intertwining with music.

"Where fears and lies melt away" Koaru nearly cried into her mic.

"Music in time" Megumi backed out of the music slowly.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa produced.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Koaru finished nicely.

"My fears, my lies…" Megumi and Koaru sang in sweet harmony.

"Melt away" The boys echoed the harmony with their own.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa finished the song as Koaru played the last few chords on her keyboard.

The entire band was greeted with wild applause as the lights on them went out, but the spotlights continued to shine on the crowd. One face in particular stood out. It wasn't cheering, but instead brooding. Silver hair blew in the wind as Inuyasha waited for the band to exit the stage. He'd come for business, not the concert. Though he grudgingly admitted that the "Wondering Samurai" band was one of the best he'd heard in a long while. He pushed his way through the crowd, cursing the fact that it was an open air concert.

* * *

Kenshin smiled at his band members as they lined up before him. Kaoru seemed to always be wearing purple and red, and tonight was no exception. The familiar colors brought as smile to his lips as her blue eyes lit up.

"KENSHIN WE WERE AWESOME!" She cried jumping excitedly. Her black bondage pants fluttered around her legs as she landed, but they caught under her boots and she fell straight into him. They both fell and Koaru apologized as she helped Kenshin up. He laughed too, wrapping an arm around her.

"Kaoru's right. You guys should be proud of what you did tonight. We were awesome tonight, especially you Misoa."

The dark-haired girl blushed at the complement and Aoshi put an arm around her, proud of his little sister.

"Thanks Kenshin," she said pushing her long braid off of her shoulder, showing off her lavender band shirt that matched Kaoru and Megumi's shirts. Her dark blue skirt swished as she turned to hug her older brother. Aoshi just smiled and let go of her when she was done. His dark emo-cut with spikes in back would get messed up if he didn't stick more gel in it soon. He was wearing a dark tank and a white band jacket, just like Kenshin.

"You boys were really on it tonight," Megumi said in her deep voice. She was glad that recently she'd dyed her hair brown with blonde highlights and had it layered. It set her apart nicely, and it looked good. Her dark hip-huggers made her look taller than she really was, but she was still short standing next to Sanoske.

"Aw, thanks Megumi," Sano said, hugging her. She stiffened a little, but he didn't really care. Megumi was his favorite person in the world. His short, spiky hair was similar in color to hers, now that she'd dyed it. It made them look perfect for each other, especially since Sanoske's white "bad" jacket stood out against her. He let her go and stuffed his taped hands into his jean pockets, waiting for Kenshin to say something else.

Kenshin mirrored Sanoske's move and waited for Aoshi to pay attention. When he saw that everyone was looking at him, he continued.

"I'm proud of you guys. Go celebrate. Since our concert is over, I have a bit of business to attend to."

The band nodded and Kaoru planted a kiss on his cheek before she left with the others for the tour bus. As Kenshin watched her, he heard Inuyasha's voice calling from behind him.

"Let's get to it Himura. You told me you have the sword, so let's see it."

"Impatient as always, Inuyasha. I suppose you're going to tell me that you didn't even like our concert."

He received a grunt from Inuyasha and shrugged. "Oh well, I guess it's fate, that it is."

"I don't have a lot of time Kenshin. So sue me for getting antsy. Where's Tetsaiga?"

He earned a smirk from Kenshin who told him to follow. Inuyasha was led to the backstage area, and inside of a guitar case was a beautifully restored sword. The Tetsaiga was truly beautiful, though ancient.

"Here it is. My one of a kind. The Higurashis found it while they were inspecting they're seals on the well. They said the aura of demons had disappeared, but they found this sword. I was just coming to pray when an old priest was going to go bless it. He gave it to me, and I restored it."

Inuyasha didn't particularly care about how Kenshin had come across it, but hearing that story proved this was the sword he was looking for. "So Himura, how much do you want for it?"

"Well, I'm fond of it, but I didn't have to pay for it, so just take it. I'll think of a price later. Just be careful with it okay?"

"Thanks Himura. You're a pal."

* * *

"Kagome, hurry up already!" Sango called from her car. She didn't really have a lot of time before Miroku was supposed to be at the airport, and she wanted to see him off. Waiting for Kagome to find the right arrow-head was taking longer than she thought. Just when she was about to head off, Kagome came running.

"I found it Sango! Wait up!" the poor girl cried as she ran for her life to get back to the car.

"About time! What took you Kagome?"

"It's not like you can walk up to a guy and ask for a talisman you know." Kagome slid into the car and put on her seat belt as Sango sped off toward the airport, the Phoenix feather tucked safely in her bra.

"You know Sango, you look really good in red," Kagome said in an off-handish sort of way.

Sango smiled and thanked her friend. She'd picked her outfit extra carefully today. Why? For some reason, she just wanted to stand out. She was pretty sure that she'd accomplished that today. Her hair was a bit wavy and it hung just the right way around her. Red feather earrings stood out nicely against her skin as well. What really made her stand out though, was the red dress she was wearing over dark hip-huggers. It was a foreign silk design: Chinese if one had to guess. It had no sleeves, but her arms were a great asset. The red sandals she had chosen matched everything she was wearing. Truly, she was a sight to behold.

Gently, Kagome's fingers ran over the sacred arrow-head she'd rescued from the display in the museum. Of course, she'd paid for it, but that didn't change the fact that she held history in her hands. Kagome wasn't as dressed up as Sango, but still, she didn't look bad. Her hair was down like Sango's but Kagome wore gold hoop earrings and a black halter with white hip-huggers and cork wedge sandals.

"I wonder how Miroku will do when he gets to Meteora. I honestly can't see that guy as a monk. Maybe someone should go with him?" Kagome suggested.

"It's a little late for that, but it might not be a bad idea. He gets….side-tracked easily. But that's okay. He's going to a monastery. Things will turn out okay."

About ten minutes later they were at the airport, thanks to numerous short-cuts and speeding on Sango's part. The two girls found Miroku sitting calmly in bar/grill area drinking a soda with about five minutes before he had to board his flight. He smiled when he saw his two stunning friends and stood up to give them a big hug.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you didn't care. Did you find it Kagome?" Miroku asked with his arms still around Sango. Even though she was blushing, she didn't pull away.

"Yep," Kagome said, holding up the arrow head as proof. She smirked at them and made a mental note to tease them about this. Until, of course, she was picked up from behind by a sneaky Inuyasha and swung around.

"Hey Miroku. Sorry I'm a bit late. I was so tired when I got back I slept till noon. Good luck man," he said bumping Miroku's free hand with his, as Kagome fumed. Receiving a punch in the arm from her, he couldn't help but feel abnormally happy to see her. Tetsaiga was on his waist and he was happy that he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Yup, just waiting for my flight to get ready. Anybody want to come with me? You can probably still get a ticket," he pitched hopefully. Maybe, if dreams came true, Sango would go with him. But he doubted it.

"Aww, sorry Miroku, but you know we can't do that. Nobody's packed, and nobody else can speak that language. Besides, you'd only get distracted," Inuyasha answered.

"I'd go," Koga said patting Miroku on the shoulder from behind him, "But I have to find a silver bullet."

"Thanks anyways. Good luck with that."

"Now boarding, flight 135," The announcement rang.

'That's me. I guess I'll see you guys in a few days. I promise I'll call when I can." With that, Miroku's lips met Sango's. They were both surprised because he'd only meant to turn and smile, and she'd only meant to kiss his cheek. Before he knew it though, he had closed his eyes and she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Koga all stared in utter amazement as the two childhood friends kissed right in front of them.Kagome's mouth actually fell open before she thought it was the sweetest thing she'd ever seen. Inuyasha was just surprised.

"Why can't that ever happen to me?" Koga said aloud, effectively snapping the other two out of it. Sango blushed and Miroku cleared his throat. Miroku said a final good bye and then boarded his flight, on his way to find the walking stick.

"Hey Inuyasha, can you give Kagome a lift home? I have to do something…private."

"Sure, let's go Kagome." He picked Kagome up and carried her on his back as she waved good bye to Sango.

"Later Sango, bye Koga!" She called.

Koga smiled and waved, then said good bye to Sango, heading off to an antique ammunition shop. Sango waved at them all and waited till the coast was clear before dancing in excitement. She was happy, and suddenly very glad she looked so good in red.

"Hey Inu, can I come over to your house for a while? I don't feel like going home just yet."

"Sure Kagome. Just don't eat everything this time," He smiled at her. She looked really great today. Not that she didn't everyday, but today especially.

"Oh you're one to talk Inuyasha. Who's the one who cleaned me out last time he was over at my house?"

"Yeah, Yeah."

He parked in the lot just outside his building and waited for Kagome before locking his car. Dread filled him as his eyes locked with familiar golden eyes and silver hair. Kikyo and Sesshomaru sat waiting for Inuyasha. Kagome smiled and waved at Kikyo, but she was still a bit wary of Sesshomaru's presence. Why was he here?

"Hello little brother. Kagome, it's nice to see you again. You're looking well."

"You too Sesshomaru," she said quickly, but still politely. She hugged Kikyo, to get away from his conversation. "I didn't think you'd be back yet Kikyo! How'd it go in Kyoto?"

Kikyo smiled, grateful that the icy conversation of Sesshomaru was being interrupted by a friend. "It was a lot of fun. Sorry you couldn't make it. You would have loved it." And for a moment, she felt affection for Kagome again. How easy it would be to pick up where they had left off. Friends again…

"What do you want Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha already sounded irritated.

"What no hug? Really Inuyasha, it's been far too long."

* * *

And that's all for today folks. I hope you enjoyed it. Was it worth the wait? Probably not, but tell me about it anyways. Try not to flame me for being so bad at updating and such. I like life just a tad more than writing. hugs Love you all, and hope you come back to read again.

Sapphire


End file.
